Ahead of the first match of the baseball WBC = World Baseball Classic on the 9th, the Japanese national team made the final adjustments before the tournament at the Tokyo Dome.
At a press conference after practice, manager Hideki Kuriyama revealed that Shohei Ohtani will be the starting pitcher for the first game.
The Japanese national team, which is aiming to win the WBC for the first time in three tournaments, will play catch ball and free batting at the Tokyo Dome on the 8th at around 4:30 pm, with their first round match against China on the 9th. practiced.
Of these, Otani, who hit two consecutive home runs in the warm-up game on the 6th, moved his body while throwing the ball toward the outfield fence near the center.
At the post-practice press conference, Japan's manager Kuriyama announced that Otani would be the starting pitcher for the match on the 9th.
Coach Kuriyama said, “With so many players and a sense of urgency to get good results, this is an important first match. I believe that he will give it to me and he will complete it," he said, explaining the reason for his appointment.
After that, he enthusiastically said, "I'm aiming to be the best in the world, which I talked about when I was appointed.
The first match of the WBC first round, the Japan national team will face China at the Tokyo Dome on the 9th at 7:00 pm.